Sichuan is making significant strides in agricultural science, with two major research papers on maize by a team led by Professor Huang Yongcai from Sichuan Agricultural University recently published in the international academic journal Nature.
The studies focus on the mechanisms for efficient nitrogen use in maize and the exploration of high-protein maize genes, aiming to address two critical challenges in Chinese agriculture: low fertilizer utilization efficiency and dependence on imported protein feed.
Professor Huang explained that these breakthroughs enable maize to require less fertilizer while achieving higher yields and to have increased protein content.
Sichuan is the province with the largest planting area and highest output in China's southwestern maize production region, with maize being the province's second-largest grain crop.
Not far from the team's experimental fields, in the Tianfu Modern Seed Industry Park in Qionglai, Chengdu, the final evaluations have been completed for over a hundred rapeseed varieties tested this spring, with new Sichuan-developed varieties like "Rongxiang You 001" receiving high scores for their excellent performance.
Recognizing seeds as the "microchips" of agriculture and Sichuan's role as a national-level breeding base, the province has launched the "Sichuan Seed Revitalization" initiative in recent years.
This action is part of a broader effort to support building a higher-level "Tianfu Granary" in the new era, involving deepening reforms in the science and technology system to create a new pathway for transforming promising seed concepts into field-ready varieties.
Fostering a Culture of Quality Research
Liu Yonghong, Vice President of the Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, emphasized that innovation should be judged by quality, not quantity.
Since 2022, the academy has been exploring the establishment of stable, long-term support mechanisms and evaluation systems designed for research that may take a decade, such as biological breeding cycles.
By adopting new models for tackling key technological challenges, such as the "unveiling the list and appointing the leader" system, the initiative grants chief scientists significant autonomy over technical direction, budget management, resource allocation, and benefit-sharing from results throughout long-term projects.
This approach encourages research teams to pursue high-quality, impactful outcomes.
The implementation of this new mechanism has accelerated the germination and growth of innovative seed technologies.
According to the latest Essential Science Indicators (ESI) data, two disciplines from the Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences have entered the global top 1% for two consecutive years, with its high-citation papers ranking eighth among provincial agricultural academies in China.
Breakthroughs in Livestock Breeding
In January of this year, the Poultry Breeding Team at the Sichuan Academy of Animal Science announced the successful development of a method for transfecting chicken primordial germ cells, which has been granted a national invention patent.
This method utilizes gene-editing technology to create a sterile host homozygous population, enabling the precise replication of specific chicken breeds, effectively providing a "lifetime biological insurance" for rare poultry varieties.
Leveraging the rich germplasm resources and new equipment at the Sichuan Provincial Germplasm Resource Center, research teams have effectively shortened the time required for research, development, and technological validation.
Statistics show that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Sichuan has approved or registered 648 new varieties in fields such as grain and oil crops, livestock and poultry, and specialty crops.
Over 90% of these varieties were independently bred by local Sichuan research institutions, universities, and enterprises, providing robust support for building a higher-level "Tianfu Granary" in the new era.